Fallen from Eden: Vampire Romance

by Amanda Knight

  “The story of my life.” It was then that the sun peeked through the mini-blind in the bedroom and it crossed her mind that he possibly had to retreat without saying goodbye because of the upcoming sun but more than likely it had to do with the fact that this was her calling in life. She was the booty call, apparently a trait that was appreciated by the fallen angel type as well as the biker, the skater and the lead singer for the house band. She turned off her light and pulled the covers over her head and fell to sleep the instant her head hit the pillow. Zoe had never climaxed with such power before and as amazing as her sexual encounter with the devilishly handsome, Barry Norris, had been, it had taken every last iota of her energy and all she could do now was sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  Over the next few weeks, Barry spent most of his time hunting mutts and when he was near enough to her house, he would stop in and see Zoe. His mission had led him further and further into the state and even over the line a time or two. He had defeated many from the defiled line but was nowhere near complete. He sensed that Zoe was harboring more than sexual feelings for him and even though he had warned her that his heart was off limits, she had assured him that the arrangement between the two of them would suffice. Barry’s thoughts often turned to Zoe and her magnificent smile and the way she made him feel as if there was no one else in the world when he was with her. She seemed to appreciate the way he performed as a lover and his ability to hear her thoughts had come in handy more than he cared to admit. He knew if he was doing something she liked and the things she didn’t. That, combined with his supernatural strength and physical perfection formed a sexual trifecta that was unmatched. His hunting had led him all the way to Canada and he was hot on the trail of a hive of mutts that were hidden in the seclusion of snow and wilderness and soon he would be one step closer to wiping them all from the face of the earth.

  Zoe clocked out from her early shift at the Quik Lube right after she had gotten done with the last oil change of the day. She wiped her hands on a shop rag that was stuffed into her pocket and walked to her car. There was a dark sedan parked between her and her own vehicle and she walked past it on the way to her door. A kindly looking woman in her fifties stepped out of the sedan with a file folder in her arms and she called to Zoe.

  “Ms. Marcus? May I have a moment of your time?” The last time someone spoke to her like that was to tell her that they had found her father’s truck upside down in Fuller’s Ravine last summer. People who use that tone never deliver good news. She pulled her shades from her eyes and placed them on top of her head. She nodded to her hand and held it up instead of extending, showing that it was covered in grease but otherwise she would have shaken the woman’s hand.

  “What’s up?” She asked as she placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head a bit. The woman nodded to the papers in her hand introduced herself as Lillian Long then asked if there was somewhere they could sit and talk so Zoe told her to follow her to Mickey’s. The bar didn’t open for hours and she had the keys and they could enjoy the privacy they needed and have a drink if the news was too horrible.

  Upon arrival, she unlocked the door and asked Ms. Long if she wanted something to drink and the woman stated that she would take a soda if it wasn’t too much trouble.

  “Grab a seat anywhere you want.” Zoe hopped up on the bar and swung her legs over, something she would never do if Mickey could see her, and made two sodas before placing them on the bar and hopping back over. She joined Lillian Long in the booth that she chose and placed her glass on a paper coaster before sliding it to her. “I’m all ears. What is it I can do for you, Ms. Long?” Zoe took a sip of her soda and looked to the woman with her full attention.

  “Well, you see, this is rather embarrassing. It has come to our attention that you may know someone who is a great person of interest to the people that I work for and they need your help.” Zoe continued to stare at the woman and took another long, slow pull on her straw.

  “This just keeps getting better.” She said as she removed the straw from her mouth and grinned with exasperation. “Just who exactly needs my help and why the hell can’t they do it themselves?” Ms. Long looked to her with great seriousness and answered,

  “I work for an organization that specializes in the historical significance and present day effects of a certain bloodline that I don’t think I need to mention. It has come to our attention that many of the descendants of Kain have been eliminated and the numbers continue to grow. Are we on the same page so far?” The woman looked to Zoe with a look that asked her if she understood what she was talking about and she answered with,

  “We are. Yes.” She took another sip of her soda.

  “What bothers us, Ms. Marcus, is that many of the descendants feed on the blood of the evil. The corrupt. Murderers, rapists, child molesters. People who are a drain on society and the lesser quality of citizen. There’s something in their blood that makes them taste better, I’ve been told.” Zoe raised her eyebrows as if she had just learned the most marvelous new fact. “What’s happened is that the numbers of evil criminals is not being lowered by the feeding of the immortal. They act as a sort of crowd control and when the crowd can’t be contained, we will soon be in a state of turmoil and anarchy. It’s up to you to help us.” She opened her file folder and pulled out numerous photos of Barry and handed them to Zoe, who looked at each one then laid it on the table in front of her. One photo was of just last night as Barry was leaving her house after a late night rendezvous.

  “What’s all this? What do you want from me?” She asked as she slammed the photos down on the table with a loud thump.

  “Our oracle suggests that by your slayer picking off descendants faster than they can make new progeny, he is altering the future of economy and government and within months’ time, the corrupt will have a foothold on the rest of humanity. Total anarchy to follow.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Capture him? How in the hell am I supposed to capture him? Do you realize how strong he is, lady? I’m no match for him. Besides, I kind of like having him around.” She allowed her mind to wander to the feel of his arms around her and how she felt as one with him when they made love. Her life had never made sense to her but everything seemed to fall into place when she was with Barry. How did this woman expect her to do anything to harm him? It was absurd.

  “I know this is a lot to take in but you have to trust me. His thirst for the descendants has taken over and it’s ruining the natural balance. The descendants have walked the earth for years, feeding on the evil and maintaining the proper order of civilization. Barry’s lust for maintaining a pure bloodline has put into motion the fall of society, simply by the wrong people being allowed to stay alive. His vow to never love a mortal was the binding tie to the prophecy and the oracle has stated that his desire has taken him past the point of no return. There is no turning back. If we don’t stop him now, it will be too late.”

  This was almost too much for her to take in, but then again so was the fact that she was having a wildly incredible sexual affair with a fallen angel hell bent on ridding the world of vampires. She had not known of his vow and it hit her like a ton of bricks right in her chest. If he couldn’t love her, what was he doing with her? The answer smacked her square in the face as soon as she remembered her first time with him and how he vanished when she left the room. He had no feelings for her, only lust that didn’t get satiated when he killed a descendant. She got up and walked to the bar, reached over and slid the top of the cooler and grabbed a beer. She opened it, took a long, hard pull on it, finishing almost half, grabbed another and walked back to the table.

  “So, you don’t want me to kill him?” She sipped on her beer and looked to Ms. Long with hopeful eyes.

  “No, Ms. Marcus. We don’t wish him dead, only contained. After you have him restrained, our people will come gather him as required. You will need this.” She handed her a leather satchel that held something that looked like stiff rope. “The S
avior’s Whip”.

  Zoe reached into the small bag and pulled forth a rolled up whip, stained with blood and rather heavy in the hand.

  “That is one of the whips used on Jesus Christ during his trials and crucifixion. This is the only weapon that can be used against a fallen angel. If you can manage to wrap it once around his skin, he will have no choice but to bow to your will. Subdue him then sustain him long enough for us to get him in the special cage we have for transport, protected by an ancient Druidic spell of confinement.” Zoe’s head was spinning as she contemplated punching the woman in her nose.

  “I can’t do this. I’m sorry. You have to pick someone else.” Zoe stated as she pushed the leather bag back across the table.

  “You must. There’s not time to find anyone else. We have waited decades to find a person he trusts enough to expose his skin and it’s in one of these moments of…” she cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows, “exposure…that you must catch him off guard and apply the whip.” The woman rattled off details about the end of civilization and a world consumed by evil but all Zoe could hear is that this lady wanted her help in containing the only man that had made her feel alive in such a long time. She wanted Zoe to turn over the man who had given her sexual experiences for the history books and she wanted her to capture the man who captured her heart, as twisted and thorny as it may be. No. She couldn’t force herself to do what this woman asked of her. Lillian Long got up to leave and looked to Zoe stating,

  “I’m leaving this with you in hopes that you will do the right thing.” She nodded to the satchel containing the Savior’s Whip. “You may look at him like a man but he is far from it. He was cast out by the one most high and his punishment is to walk the face of the earth forever. He’s not a good guy, Ms. Marcus.” As she walked out the door, Zoe let out an exasperated sigh and took in a deep breath, trying to figure out just what she should do. She definitely didn’t want the world to crumble and be taken over by evil but she sure as hell didn’t want to do anything to harm Barry. Besides, she would never be able to hide her intentions from him because as soon as she started thinking about her next move, he would hear the thoughts in her head as if she had spoken them aloud. She finished her second beer and tossed both bottles into the trashcan behind the bar before walking to the door and turning off the light.

  She must not have been paying close enough attention to the road and the recent rain had made it very slippery, for when she rounded the curve closest to her house, only a mere hundred feet or so from her driveway, she slid in the mud, hit the ditch and flipped her car. Zoe was trapped upside down in the small compact and was far enough off the road that she wouldn’t be seen by passing cars and since it was nearing dark, her chances for help were getting smaller by the second.

  Panic swept over the usually cheerful Zoe Marcus as she tried to wiggle free from her safety belt to no avail. She searched the vehicle for something she could use to cut herself loose but there was nothing. She instantly regretted cleaning out her car earlier in the week. She tried to scream but knew that her nearest neighbors were two miles away through the thickest woods in the county so she gathered her head and tried to think.

  Remembering the night that Barry had saved her from the stranger, she began to call for Homer. It took the old dog a few minutes to make his way down the long driveway but he followed her voice all the way to her car. He barked frantically and pawed at the windshield as he whined and whimpered, setting his voice to the winds in hopes that his call would be heard.

  Chapter Ten

  Just as Zoe thought that she and the dog would be spending the night in a ditch, her car was flipped back onto its tires and as the blood rushed from Zoe’s head, her eyes focused in on Barry standing outside as the car was righted. He reached to the door and grabbed it, ripping it off the hinges before taking his fingernail and slicing the safety belt, freeing Zoe from her confinement. She stood and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him graciously on the neck and face as he held her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and took in his smell, trying not to think about the lady in the bar earlier.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” He stood back from her and flexed his shoulders forward and with a grunt, uncased a magnificent pair of black wings. Her mouth dropped as she took in the beautiful sight and she felt a bit dizzy seeing him like this for the first time. She reached into the car and grabbed her purse, cell phone and the leather bag from Lillian Long that she needed to carry out the task that she wasn’t even sure she would carry out. He took her in his arms and with a powerful flap of his wings, the two lifted from the ground and he carried her over the treetops to her house. She marveled at the view from above and the feel of his strong arms carrying her to safety. She couldn’t possibly turn him over to the likes of Lillian Long and her buddies.

  He eased down onto her front yard and released his grasp on her when he felt her feet hit the ground. She smiled to him and said,

  “Thank you so much for helping and the amazing ride home.” She smiled to him and he turned his head to look up the driveway.

  “Don’t mention it. I heard that Homer’s human was in some sort of trouble, thought I’d check it out.” He seemed more distant than usual and his attention seemed to be elsewhere as he stared off into nothing. “I think I’m headed towards Mexico next. Work my way through the southern states then head through in Texas. There are so many mutts out there that I don’t know where to begin or what else to do. This is the way it has to be.” He gazed at her and she saw the darkness that she had seen in the eyes of the stranger. Was it hate that she saw staring back at her?

  “Maybe you could take a break? Hang out with me a while.” His head snapped towards her and he yelled,

  “Do you think this is a game that I can just stop and start on a whim? I can’t have these things running around on my blood name. Kain’s blood and mine are the same and if they pervert his blood and image then dealing with me is the price that must be paid.” She took a step back from him just in case his temper flared up and he lost his composure, which he did not.

  “Are you sure there are no repercussions in what you’re doing? I mean...you are a vampire who kills vampires.” His eyes filled with rage as he screamed,

  “I’m no vampire! I am an angel, fallen or not. I have walked the streets of the high kingdom and been in the presence of the almighty, unlike the mutts born of woman and fathered by the blood of Kain. It was never meant for the two lines to mingle and they must be destroyed.” He turned towards the house and motioned for her to enter first, which she did, allowing him to follow her inside and shut the door behind them.

  “I’m just saying. What if they serve some purpose and by killing them, they don’t get to do whatever it is they are meant to do?” He turned his face to her and asked,

  “Who have you been talking to?” He took a step towards her and she smiled, saying,

  “No one. I’m just thinking out loud, that’s all.” Her heart was racing as she tried to decide what to do about the whip without using her thoughts and she couldn’t think straight without him hearing what was going on in her head. If he listened now, he would hear a lot of “What, why, when, where, and how?” but not be able to make sense of any of it. She was having trouble making any sense of it, herself. She walked to him and placed her arms around him, taking in his scent as he placed his arms around her shoulders, holding her close to his silent chest. Still holding the satchel, she slipped her hand inside and placed it on the whip, trying to figure out how to get it around him, for he was much faster than she. Zoe didn’t want to harm Barry but she also could not allow the entire human race to succumb to evil and tyranny. If the “mutts”, as he called them, were silently ridding the world of the corrupt and the wicked, and they had now been left to run amuck, how could she let him continue on his mission of annihilation? If things were as bad as Lillian Long had said, it was only a matter of time before the bad outweighed the good and the hope for humanity was gone. She h
ad no choice. She knew what must be done.

  Zoe placed her hand on the back of his neck for the last time and pulled him in for a slow, long passionate kiss. Feeling the sensation of his cold tongue in her mouth one last time as she ran her hand from his neck, down his side and back, where she met her other hand and the bag. She reached into the bag and grabbed the whip, holding it in both hands a few feet apart and she quickly looped it around his throat and crossed it in the back behind him. His hands flew to his throat and she said,

  “Stop.” Hearing her words, he stopped immediately and fell to his knees. Zoe’s heart ached for him, the look of pain in his eyes as he looked to her and asked why. “You have let your bloodlust take control and the killing of the descendants of Kain has had grave consequences. Their diet of the wicked and corrupt has not been sated and these people who were supposed to die are being allowed to run free and in time, it will bring forth the fall of humanity. I can’t allow that to happen.” She tightened the whip and reached into her pocket to make the call to Ms. Long.

  “How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me.” The words stung her heart because she had also thought that she loved him at one point but realized that there was no way he could love her in return. His vow forbade it.

  “Love? You want to talk to me about love? How about a vow to never love a human as long as your feet are planted on the face of the earth? Huh? How about that one?” A tear fell down her face as her eyes failed to contain the hurt that they so desperately tried to hide.

  He looked to the floor and then back up to her with a stone face. “Yes. I did make that vow. Giving over my entire heart and soul was the only way to fully dedicate my eternity to my mission, for other things get in the way of progress. I never meant to hurt you. For what it’s worth, if not for the vow, I would have wanted to spend the rest of your life with you.” Zoe’s eyes streamed a flood of tears at his words and looked to the phone in her hand, debating on using it to call and let Lillian Long know that she had him subdued or throwing it against a wall and releasing him.